For the first time since the blog really got rolling, I won’t be attending the Consumer Electronics Show. CES, of course, is the largest tech trade show in the US and where a wide array of companies preview their wares.
As with most years, early on I debated attending. Last year, for example, we had record traffic in January due to our CES coverage… yet revenue was down something like a third from the preceding December, as advertisers save their big spends for the holidays. Additionally, both the deluge of pre-show product announcements and time spent covering products that ultimately never ship has been bit demoralizing. And then there’s the miles of walking and days of sleep deprivation.
However, the truth is I always do have a blast… Meeting up with folks I only see on an annual basis and hopefully providing good commentary, including uncovering nuggets or going on deep dives that the big boys don’t. The invitation from Harry McCracken (Technologizer, Time) to help judge Last Gadget Standing this year sealed the deal for attending CES 2011.
Yet, reality has conspired against me. ZNF has always been a hobby and the simple fact of the matter is, due to an ongoing out of state medical crisis and new home projects, I’m into negative leave at work. My mental capacity is also into negative territory at this point. And so, with many mixed emotions, I canceled my trip just a few days ago.
The good news is that Mari will be attending CES as planned, and has in fact extended her stay. Additionally, she’s bid Motorola adieu. Which I hope translates into more ZNF coverage. I’ve sent her on missions to replace me at what look to be compelling Verizon FiOS TV and Microsoft Mediaroom briefings. As with last year, TiVo’s booth is private, suggesting there’s nothing imminent that we haven’t already been made aware of. So I didn’t burden Mari with that invite-only appointment. And, even though I won’t be onsite, I have been pre-briefed on a few items – at least one of which I’ll hit. Also, I intend to aggregate some of the more compelling news and products that come out of Vegas this week.